When I Need A Pick Me Up, by my friend Ryan King

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

A Little More About Alex And His Story

(Originally 1/11/07)

(Not in that particular order)

The name of his story is "Outgoing". It has a duel meaning. The protagonist is a poet (and so is Alex), and a part of her struggle is that she is an introvert. I don't know what it's like to be a poet, but I think everyone who spends hours at a keyboard, enjoying, reviewing, and typing out the contents of their mind is going to be chiefly an introvert. Alex has expressed his own introversion, yet he was able to go to Clarion, participate in a local improv acting troupe, and most importantly, able to propose to his girlfriend (now wife) and follow through with being a husband.

But he wrote from the familiar territory of wanting to get into one's own space, staying there, and love, love, loving it. Having to see no one else's face, meeting no one else's expectations, breaking no one else's heart, saying nothing wrong to anyone, not subjecting yourself to anyone else's scrutiny, nor being oppressed by anyone else's personality. That part of the story I enjoyed more than any other aspect--not only looking into Alex's heart where introversion lives, but knowing that he is connected to me by the same thread. Connected by our desire not to be connected.

And in the end, whether I like being around people or not (or whether I want to change that or not--and yes, I do), it is always a gratifying, human experience to know that someone you care about understands you.